The best place to get info on AVR’s in general is at the AVSForum. Currently Onkyo’s are not in good standing over there. So many of them have chronic problems. My own experience with Onkyo AVR’s has forever ended any interest I have with The brand.

Personally, I prefer Denon and I am pretty sure they have something similar at that price. I should mention that I own an Onkyo and it doesn't have any major issues, but I have read enough horror stories that I would try to go with another brand if I can find something similar at the price point. The Onkyo I have is for my home office and it was $100 cheaper than the closest Denon with the same features, so I took the risk.

This Denon has most all of the goodies and is $399.00, I’ll say it again Crutchfield has been my go to source for these kinds of purchases since 1974 you cannot go wrong. Call them on their toll free number and talk to a costumer rep’ they know their stuff. They have a no questions asked return policy. Ask about their open box specials you can often stretch you Dollars a long way.

You can tell by the way they write the specifications its a compromised unit. But that's what you get when buying a unit designed to reach a certain price plateau. Their better line Integra is a better choice. Look for a unit that has the same specs with two or 7 channels operating at the same power levels, with all the latest decoding if you are into 4k. I have to agree either Marantz or Denon is the place to start looking. You could always invest for the long term future with pre-owned Mcintosh MC 207 or MC 205, with a pre-owned MX 151 or 122 processor. The amps are easily good for 40 years.

I currently running a Yamaha RX-A770. I am extremely pleased with it. It’s DSP setting are very interesting. You have the default in each but you can open each to tweak it, from the main remote’s on screen.

One thing I am going to do in the future is I am going to make sure any future AVR has provisions to be a pre-amp. I have learned that the system Impedences in a multiple speaker system is complex and is a real chore for a set of PA’s to handle in an AVR. You can pay a premium price for an AVR that can handle higher input power levels or do the same thing with premium powered speakers or stand alone amps. I like the simplicity of a really good set of powered speakers for the theater and music surround duties leaving the main amp to power the anchor set up front.

One thing I am going to do in the future is I am going to make sure any future AVR has provisions to be a pre-amp. I have learned that the system Impedences in a multiple speaker system is complex and is a real chore for a set of PA’s to handle in an AVR. You can pay a premium price for an AVR that can handle higher input power levels or do the same thing with premium powered speakers or stand alone amps. I like the simplicity of a really good set of powered speakers for the theater and music surround duties leaving the main amp to power the anchor set up front.

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I have a pair of Emotiva mono amps I use to power my front two speakers. The Denon has the ability to power all my speakers via external amplification, but I don't feel the need. Heck, the Emotivas may be overkill, but it makes me sleep better at night. \

The only Yamaha thing I own is the WXC-50. No complaints about it, but I can't comment on their receivers.

The minor problem I have with the Yamaha, and this is talked about over at the AVSForum is sometimes with BluRay explosions the Yamaha will shut down and on restart it will say “Check Speaker Wires”. In my case their is no possible problem with the speaker wires. Yamaha Tech’s who comment say this shut down is more of a transient Impedence issue. I can easily prevent such shutdowns in the YPAO settings.

One thing I would love to see, is an AVR that does not have a built in tuner. For me it is completely superfluous other than making sure it worked I have never used the AM/FM Tuner on the Yamaha, nor did I on the Onkyo. All of the terrestrial stations I want to listen to are streaming. Why would I want to listen to KGAB, Cheyenne’s 24/7 iHeart automated crappola. Yes KGAB streams, but with a worldwide choice of fantastic radio stations available with a click.

This is a good unit. I have the RZ820. Although they are AV units, they seem to be based on the traditional 2 channel layout. This means you can run them with two speakers, and you can run them with up to six speakers, plus a center channel and a powered subwoofer.

I've enjoyed my unit so far. It is easy to use, it produces great sound and it delivers very good sound power. As the others have said, shop around as some of these are pricey. Good luck.

Edit: As also mentioned, double check to see if this receiver has provisions for a turntable. That was a major reason for me choosing my Onkyo unit. I previously bought a Yamaha, and although the receiver may have been decent, it didn't have a pre-amp connection for a turntable (You need this for a hi fi TT with magnetic cartridges). I returned the Yamaha and purchased the RZ820.

The minor problem I have with the Yamaha, and this is talked about over at the AVSForum is sometimes with BluRay explosions the Yamaha will shut down and on restart it will say “Check Speaker Wires”. In my case their is no possible problem with the speaker wires. Yamaha Tech’s who comment say this shut down is more of a transient Impedence issue. I can easily prevent such shutdowns in the YPAO settings.
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The 3.5YO RX-V377 in my bedroom started doing just that last night. I was watching a DVD and it repeatedly shut down. After turning it back on and seeing "Check Speaker Wires" it will work for three minutes and then shut down. It exhibits this behavior only on an HDMI input. I can watch TV because I'm using the coax out on my TV for audio through it. The audio only input works just fine.

Go Into the speaker setting their is Adaptive DRC (Dynamic Range Control) Adaptive DRC automatically adjusts the dynamic range of the sound according to the volume level. This ensures that you hear clear dialog and vocals, and all sound effects at comfortable levels. I shut this off when listening to music because it impacts the dynamic range of music, and I also don’t use it with older movies and TV shows. Just checked and the RX-V377 has DRC.

Edit: As also mentioned, double check to see if this receiver has provisions for a turntable. That was a major reason for me choosing my Onkyo unit. I previously bought a Yamaha, and although the receiver may have been decent, it didn't have a pre-amp connection for a turntable (You need this for a hi fi TT with magnetic cartridges). I returned the Yamaha and purchased the RZ820.

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The RX-A770 does have a phono input. It works OK for MM cartridges but MC cartridges need help.

My RX-V377 does not have DRC nor is it mentioned in the manual. In any case, I don't see what that has to do with it shutting down when using an HDMI input.

The main reason I chose the Yamaha over its competitors was because of the number of inputs. It has four HDMI inputs five AV inputs an Aux in on the front panel and a USB input. It's competitors have four inputs that can be assigned to either HDMI or AV. It also has five way binding posts for the front speakers instead of those crappy spring loaded pin connectors.

The RX-V479 I ordered this evening has five way binding posts for all the speakers and the same amount of inputs as the 377. It will be replacing the 377 in my bedroom.

The 42 people that bought the Onkyo at Crutchfield all gave it a 5 star rating. So yes, I think it is good. I know my 17 year old Onkyo has outstanding SQ easily on par with some good vintage receivers, and better than some.

That said, I just bought a new Yamaha RX-A770 too, And must say I'm most impressed. I would recommend their A870 though because it has preamp outputs, Multi position YPAO eq settings and a few other handy features. Expect the same outstanding SQ for both stereo music and Dolby Atmos.

Like most things you get what you pay for, Even from Yamaha. You can find less expensive alternatives from Yamaha and other brands, But IMO one of the best overall value's in AVR's is either Yamaha's Aventage series Rx-A770 or the A870.